Prince’s Family Sues the Doctor That Prescribed Him Pain Pills

The family of the late singer Prince has reportedly filed a lawsuit against Dr. Michael Schulenberg—the physician who is accused of illegally prescribing an opioid to the late singer.

ABC News reports that the suit was filed Friday in Minnesota district court, and the plaintiffs claim Dr. Schulenberg neglected to treat Prince’s opioid addiction prior to his fatal overdose in 2016.

Complex adds that toxicology reports confirmed the singer’s system contained “exceedingly high” levels of fentanyl at the time of his death. And further reports by the Associated Press had added that Dr. Schulenberg allegedly provided Prince with oxycodone just days before his death, although authorities say the doctor admitted to prescribing the drug under the name of Prince’s bodyguard to ensure privacy. The physician denied the allegations, and was never charged in the singer’s death, and this is because investigators failed to determine where Prince received the pill that ultimately killed him.

Now, Prince’s family are insisting that his death could’ve been prevented had the doctor done his job. “[Dr. Schulenberg] failed to appropriately evaluate, diagnose, treat and counsel Prince for his recognizable opioid addiction, and further failed to take appropriate and reasonable steps to prevent the foreseeably fatal result of that addiction,” the lawsuit continued, “These departures from the standard of acceptable medical practice had a substantial part in bringing about Prince’s death.”

Prince’s family is seeking damages in excess of $50,000.

Reacting to the suit, the doctor’s attorney, Paul Peterson, told ABC News: “We understand this situation has been difficult on everyone close to Mr. Nelson [Prince] and his fans across the globe. Be that as it may, Dr. Schulenberg stands behind the care that [Prince] received. We intend to defend this case.”